South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington next week at a time of strained ties between the two countries, Pretoria said in a statement released late on Wednesday. Tensions have been rising for months over a range…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has said the ceasefire will run from the morning of 8 May until the 11 May – which coincides with victory celebrations to mark the end of World War…

Catholic cardinals will meet on May 7 to start voting for a new pope, the Vatican announced on Monday, a week after the death of Pope Francis. So-called “Princes of the Church” under the age of 80 will meet in the Sistine Chapel…

Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88. The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital before seeming to…

China will impose 84 percent tariffs on US imports, up from 34 percent, the finance ministry said Wednesday, hours after similar levies by the United States came into force. US President Donald Trump’s latest salvo of tariffs came into effect on dozens of…